Mike White, the principal director of hypersonics within the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said the technology he is in charge of is an important part of the military's modernization, DOD News reported Wednesday.
He said hypersonic weapons have the potential to strike high-priority targets and can sustain high-altitude flight at speeds near Mach 5. White said these characteristics make hypersonic missiles effective against long-range targets.
The Department of Defense (DOD) is working on hypersonic weapons applicable for launch from air, maritime and land domains. The three service branches corresponding to these domains, as well as the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and other organizations, are working on various hypersonic technology projects.
